Our wagon ain’t goin’ nowhere in this wind

I can tell it’s an indoor day when Spike decides not to roam, but comes right back in.

The wind is constant and strong, so much so that opening the door is to have your arm yanked to the left. I alternate between reading online and reading my kindle.

I’ve long preferred historical fiction. Only until this past year did I pick up westerns. I started with Richard Wheeler’s Barnaby Skye series and I was hooked!

Maybe I never cared for western fiction because my Easterner’s mind couldn’t picture it.

Now it’s fun to read a plot that travels through the same places the crew and I traveled. The main character starts a ranch near Ennis Lake and the Madison River, for instance. I’ve been there! I know what that looks like! The crew and I floated that river!

The book I’m reading today describes a wagon train on its way to Ft. Laramie, Wyoming, and beyond.

The Platte River must be crossed and it’s swollen with a dangerous current. I remember camping along the Platte River in that area!I didn’t camp too close because the banks were unstable having been ripped and gouged by high water.

The pioneers make camp and water their oxen and horses at the Chugwater. I was there! And when they first set eyes on the Great Divide Basin and stare in awe . . . I remember reacting the same way!

For native Westerners, this is probably no big deal. For a lifelong resident of the East, it makes the stories of the Old West real and exciting.

I stop reading to heat up a can of soup for lunch.

I’m glad I stocked up on soups when at Wal-Mart.Soup is the perfect meal on windy days such as this. I pour some frozen peas into the Progresso Chicken Noodle Lite to perk it up. I break up some crackers and drop them into the bowl. The crew waits patiently. Well, that’s not true. Bridget waits patiently; Spike barks his fool head off until I give them both their own broth-soaked cracker.

I pull up all the blinds and settle in for more reading.

Spike and Bridget curl up next to me in the sunbeam that warms the quilt. The crew accepts that there aren’t long walks on these windy days. Yesterday I thought we’d move today. Ha, not in this wind. Well, the generator from hell has fallen silent. One of these days we’ll get up and I’ll know it’s the right day to move.

This is a good life.

Being retired, my days belong entirely to me. I have a warm, cozy house and plenty of good food. I can go online whenever I want. I have television to watch. (Last night I watched two Seinfeld reruns.) I’ve got enough books to keep me reading for months. Bridget and Spike are close by and make sweet company.And I’ve got a drawer full of atlases with which to plan a year’s worth of adventures!

Back to that wagon train.

Let’s see . . . Where were we? Oh yeah, gotta’ make South Pass before the first snow fall. I pull out my Wyoming atlas and find South Pass. Hmm . . . If we go back to Brooks Lake and the Wind River valley, we could get there by taking Route 28 through South Pass . . .

Oh, to be retired and RVing, now that is the life, it can’t come soon enough. Years ago I read a set of books that were named after each state, they were about crossing the United States, at the time a very good read, I think I’ll try them again.
Windy and cold here in Yucaipa, Ca..

It is fun to be able to relate to books! When we first moved to Dewey, Ok. I bought a paperback at the grocery store. A true murder mystery. Knew nothing about the book. Read the first paragraph, and thought, hmmmm, those rivers sound familiar, that town rings a bell, then: Holy Cow, Dewey! It was the Mullendore Murder Mystery about a very wealthy ranching family in the area. And the murder of the son, and heir on the isolated ranch. It was so interesting. After nearly 40 years in the area, it has been interesting to meet people who knew this ranching royalty and drive by the Cross Bell Ranch.

Sure you mentioned this, but again, do you have a TV set (a flatscreen?) or do you watch online using your air card? Or do you put up that jaunty “flagpole” and see what you can get? By the way, RIP HUELL HOWSER.

I bought the “entertainment package” when I ordered my Casita. That meant a 15-inch flat screen TV with DVD player and antenna, plus a place to connect to cable TV. The antenna is somewhere within the structure of the BLT. It has nothing to do with my air card or internet or the Wilson antenna. I push a button to activate it.

I have always LOVED historical fiction tooo…as well as biographies!! Used to read the George McDonald books that Michael Phillips “translated” into easier to read English (the Scottish is rather hard to read…but it is just enough when Michael Phillips fixed them up. I read more true stories these days, health ones, cookbooks…between the other projects I have with me…sewing one of them. Been fabric shopping today!!!! FUN, FUN, FUN…you see, IF we actually end up being full-time RVers…the sewing machine and some materials will be a must too!! Enjoy your cozy days waiting for the weather to clear a bit! Glad to hear you are stocked up with necessities for awhile too. We are eating soup tonight too.

Yup, retirement and travel adventures have been the best years of my life! Being able to do what suits me when I want to do it is just delicious! Stay warm and give the fur kids a pet from me 🙂
Happy Trails!

Who knew? I used to wonder about people who would complain about retirement, act like they were lost in a sea of “What do I do?” For heaven’s sake, there’s a whole world out there! So much to do and so little time!

I agree with what you wrote, Sra. Julia… “Retirement and travel adventures have been the best years of my life!”

See if you can find “Down the Santa Fe Trail and into Mexico” the diary of Susan Shelby Magoffin, 1846-1847 edited by Stella M Drumm. Very interesting about the life she had married to a Santa Fe trader.

You need to pick up the Joanna Brady (Cochise County) and Ali Reynolds (Other parts of Arizona) Series by J A Jance. She also has a series located in the Northwest. She grew up in Bisbee so I like her Joanna Brady ones the best because she uses so much of the local history and geography in those novels.

I just finished J. A. Jance’s Breach of Duty and I also have Jance’s Kiss of the Bees which I haven’t read yet(J.P. Beaumont series). I’ll look for the Joanna Brady and Ali Reynolds series. Thanks, Ed.

Living the good life indeed……………retirement is just another chapter in life…..enjoy every minute of it!
Today marks my third year of retirement……….seems like it was just yesterday…when I took my alarm clock with me to work and said,”Anyone need this?…because I don’t.” heh heh

Sue
As I have gotten in older I have switched to audio books…westerns are my fav..
Robert Parker,
Zane Grey ,
Matt Braun ,
The Hallelujah Trail by Bill Gulick,
King of the Mountain Wilderness Series, by David Thompson ,
Riders of the Dawn by Louis L’Amour ,
Vigilante Moon A Novel of Old Montana by Stan Lynde —
Beyond the Outposts by Max Brand ,
Black Jackby Max Brand
Showdown on the Hogback by Louis L’Amour
A Double-Barreled Detective Story by Mark Twain

Just to let you know how your “little blog” has affected your readers. Today one of my 6th graders commented on my little plastic flower that moves from solar power. This led to “Is there a battery?” which led to a very rudimentary discussion by yours truly on how solar power works, inverters, batteries, etc. I pulled up your blog and used your photo of the BLT and PTV to explain how it works. Not bad for a reading teacher, huh? A year ago, I would have said “solar what?”

Hello, Dixie, and welcome to my blog! Yes, operating an adult care facility for 18 years, you definitely have earned a happy retirement.

Thanks for the compliment of reading my blog from the beginning. I’m pleased to read that it has inspired you as your look forward to your own retirement with your husband. With a name like Dixie, you should be where it’s warm! Best wishes as you plan and when you hit the road . . .

Looks like soup is on the menu for a few folks out there…we are having grilled cheese and cream of chicken soup tonight. Like everyone else I love to read since fifth grade…my teacher use to give me Nancy Drew books and a few other books. I read all kinds of books…but I do like historical novels i.e. Robert Michner’s Centennial that took you from back east all the way across the western US. Been to four corners of the US from Maine (camped at Acadia National Park) to Everglades, FL, Washington State to S. CA. We live in a beautiful country. I ventured into BC, Canda and visited Alaska…so when I read I am somewhat familiar with the area. I’ve also read historical novels of Poland, S. Africa, Middleeast but have never stepped outside of US soil. I should have while I was younger. Now it’s too expensive. I enjoy your travel blogs cuz it opens up some areas I’ve never been.

By the way more reading weather coming up. Winter storm predicted for S. AZ w/snow flurries this weekend. In Phoenix the temp will drop to freezing so they said to cover our plants.

Whoa! What’s with the snow and cold in southern AZ? Here in Yuma our overnight lows have been in the 40s, a high of 70-72 predicted by mid-week, with an overnight low of 39 by Friday…. still the warmest place I know for free camping.

With all the travel you’ve done, I’m surprised that I open up new areas for you. That’s great!

I too enjoy reading about places I’ve been. Nevada Barr is a former ranger for the National Park Service, and she has written a series of mysteries that each take place in a different national park. I’ve been to a few of them so I can picture the characters there. I also enjoy reading novels based in Texas, since I have been all over the state. Some are pretty accurate, some not so much.

I love days when you have nothing pressing to do and can just sit and read…oh, wait, those days are very common after retirement LOL I’ll be fully retired in about a year, but I only work about 6 months right now, and they’re spaced out over the course of the year.

I love days when there’s nothing pressing to do and I don’t feel any guilt about it. That last part is important. Used to be, when I was working, that my spare time was so crammed with things that had to be done I couldn’t enjoy doing nothing. Now that’s not normal!

I’m glad you’re easing your way into full retirement, Cari. It’s a great way to live.

Hi Sue, we’re still stuck here in Arkansas, but we’ve traveled enough previously that we can understand the newfound feeling of having been there. We were at Mann’s theater in Hollywood two months before “Fade to Black” came out with the scene on the roof. We were at Marineland of the Pacific before we saw a scene on Simon and Simon with the guys standing exactly where we had been! We’ve down inside the Bounty (which infortunately sank during Hurricane Sandy), and we’ve also been down inside the USF Constellation, so seeing those old ships on TV or movies brings back memories. After having lived in Mesa for ten years, we learned that many of the Western stories involved that area, and not just in fiction. As you leave Las Cruces headed toward Alamagordo, there’s plaque on the hill leaving town that says it’s the spot where Pat Garret, Billy the Kid and one of the local ranchers had a shootout. And being almost anywhere on the mall in Washington D.C. will bring recognition of many scenes being filmed there.
I didn’t have much of an interest in history when I was younger either, but seeing these places in person really makes a person notice them more. I commend people who are out there traveling with their children and home schooling them on the road, because those kids will get educations that most of us can only dream about. College isn’t for everyone. It seems all it does it teach people how ot make more money so they buy more things and have to eran more to keep up with the lifestyle. There’s lot to be said for living modestly and really getting to know and see the country they live in. I envy your being able to do it, and I also have read your blog from the beginning. It’s an inspiration to those of us waiting our turn, as well as those who are already out there… to show that it doesn’t take money, greed or expensive campgrounds every night to accomplish our dreams. You keep going and do it as long as you are able, and let your stories encourage those who have not had the courage to do the same.

I enjoyed your comment and appreciate the important life message it conveys. I’m especially touched by your last lines, beautifully written. I will do this as long as I’m able . . Thanks for writing. .

Wife and I are here at Wikieup Arizona a nice place to roost for awhile. But we are getting ” hitch itch” and are headin out to Quartzsite in a few days. Hope the Big Tent is going up soon as there are a ton of things to learn there, all about rv’ing. We don’t want to miss the Casita Rally Feb, 8,9, and 10 at Dome Rock just four or five miles west of town on the south side of I 10. Hope to see RV Sue and the K-9 crew there too. Don’t forget your can of soup for the big pot. Don’t worry everyone knows not to bother you if your door is closed ha.

Well, Joe, it’s tempting to run up to Quartzsite as your enthusiasm is contagious..

This is the time of year for me to cool my heels, sit tight, and save up gas money for warm weather travels. If I go to Quartzsite, I’m bound to spend money. Enjoy the soup . . . Give my regards to all the Casitans you meet up there. Have fun!

Ah, Sue, I know just what you mean. I drove truck all over the U.S. as part of team for five years and I love to read. It’s such a thrill to read about a place I have been. Been there! Know what it looks like! Makes that good read just that much better!! Enjoy!

Wind can wear you down. I hope it doesn’t last for days because with time the howling alone gets tiresome. I thought I might get us out of the wind by coming here, fool that I am. I hope Louie is doing well… and Sophie, too. Oops, I almost forgot Jake! I hope he’s well, too!

We’ re RV’ ing in Palm Springs currently, right at the base of the beautiful San Jacinto mountains and the winds hit here about 11 am and lasted till about 3 pm. I got back from my run just before they started, thank goodness. Its an entirely different sport having (trying) to run in the wind!

Historical fiction is also my favorite genre and why I have read everything Michener wrote. I also like David Nevin’s The American Story Series, novels dealing with the history of the United States from 1800 to 1860. His books comprising this era start with Dream West and include 1812, Eagle’s Cry, Treason, and Meriwether. Only have read Eagle’s Cry so far but have Dream West in my library now.

I don’t know why it’s taken me this long to get around to reading Michener! I like that period of history, too… early 1800s. . . so I’ll look for David Nevin.

There’s a used book store in Bozeman, MT called The Book Barn… It has a large collection of western fiction. I wish I could walk in there right now and gather up some of these . . . I like that they give credit for the books turned in, too. So, Ed. if you’re ever in Bozeman . . . 🙂

I vote for reading Zane Grey! My grandfather had all of his novels in matching bindings (Zane wrote 90 books), and he loaned them to me, one at a time, throughout my childhood. Great fun! A few years back I attended a used book event, walked around a corner, and came face-to-face with shelves full of the matching set. I stood there grinning like an idiot, chills running down my spine.

You might also like A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella L. Bird. She was one of those Victorian traveling women, who went everywhere and saw everything.

I’ve downloaded some of these novels on Kindle, for free. (Always a good thing, I think.)

Two thoughts occur to me this day. You may not be old enough for my first but I’ll try it. On those days or nights when you want to be entertained, open your laptop, turn on your sound and go here: http://www.otr.net/. Select your favorite and enjoy good clean fun. My next thought is of the breathtaking feeling when one first sees a wondrous sight. Such a feeling can be brought on by simply taking a summer (it must be summer) drive from Logan Utah, to Bear Lake Idaho. You take HWY 89 through what is known as Logan Pass. When you reach the Eastern side of the pass and look down and catch your first view of the huge and amazingly colored body of Bear Lake you will know that feeling. I have pulled a 20′ Trailer through there several times and it’s a piece of cake. PS I had a A frame cabin up there for several years, moose looking in kitchen window, herds of elk down my road, too many deer to ever count, ferrets, and you name it. Winters are hard there but summer, awwwwwww summers.

The last link you posted on this blog has been clicked almost 200 times as I write this! So I respect your suggestions. 🙂 I’ll get out my atlases and make a margin note on this Hwy 89 through Logan Pass. It sounds wonderful. What fun to scout out new places!

If ever I were to have a stationary house again, your cabin sounds perfect . . . for the summer!

Well, Jim, I looked at my atlas and that Hwy 89 looks pretty scary . . . I don’t like the way that road squiggles. Yikes! Your description tempts me. I wonder how the camping is at Bear Lake. I almost went there last summer. Any info? You know I like cheap. Hope you see this . . .

Sue, As I said, I owned a home there so I never camped in the area. I recall several places to camp on both sides of the lake, but I am short on detail. The road is well paved and if you cruise along at cautious speeds, it is perfectly passable. I even took a motor home over it in the winter when there was a little ice here and there. During the summer, piece of cake. Robert Redford had a home midway across years ago, I don’t know if he still does or not. Glad you liked my OTR site.

I have made that trip from Logan to Bear Lake.We tent camped there. I do not remember the drive being all that bad. of course at the time I wS driving those roads everyday and was used to it. it is beautiful. would love to be able to do it again.

Sherlock, Watson & I are having a low energy day despite the 55 degree weather outside. I have a chronic pain condition that rears its ugly head periodically, but I am content to stay inside with the pooches and take it easy when I need to.

I love how you can “see” the topography while you are reading because you’ve been there!! YAY for retirement, living on less and loving life more. 🙂 I’m not there yet, but live vicariously through your blog nearly every day.

Sue, Those winds are called “santa anna” on the coast! Some days they blow the opposite direction. As info: Im cold weather camping in the Washington state snow belt. Nice and warm and still able to empty the holding tanks by using a combination of windshield fluids to liquids. Keep things from freezing! Have a great day! J

Hello Sue, I am living in Brockton, MA and dreaming of the day my wife Donna & I can hit the road. I thought I was going to have to work forever but thanks to you & other RV Bloggers Donna and I have made plans to retire next year in an RV, living on less and enjoying life instead of dreading it. We are going to look at a used Winnebago this weekend, and going to the Boston RV show the following weekend. My oldest daughter lives in Phoenix and we visited there, saw Superstition Mountain. I want to see those places again in my RV!

Your comment says a lot in a few words. “I thought I was going to have to work forever.” I am glad you see there is another way to live! And also “enjoying life instead of dreading it.” Oh, do I know what you mean!

I sit here in the desert and imagine you both in the middle of a Boston winter dreaming of the day you can hit the road in your own rig. Plan wisely, adjust your expectations of what you need to be happy, and you’ll travel the path to a wonderful life. Oh, the places you’ll go!

I wish you both the best of luck finding the right rig and making your plans. Thanks for reading my blog and sharing with us here.

I am also a fan our historical fiction, as well as journals. One of my favorites is Women of the West, which is filled with history of pioneer women crossing the plains and into the wild wild west. LOVE.
Glad the generator from hell is G-O-N-E!

The courage of pioneer women is incredible. To be in the position of dependency on a man who could end up dead in an instant, to be left with children in a society that barred women from making a living except in immoral ways, left vulnerable in a lawless environment . . . I think it’s scarier to be dependent than to have the wherewithal to take care of yourself.

The generator from hell is still here. It only seems to run on the warm, calm days when we want to go outside. Oh well, if that’s all I have to put up with, I’d say we’re doing well.

I am one of you most fervent followers, can’t wait to go mitMy niece sent me an article from a SF paper re Enbrel being used to reverse stroke symptoms,if it works, il join you, crank up my old LazyDaze, putt my doggies inside, sayonara Molalla OR!!

Maybe not exactly Westerns, but three/four New Mexico Authors with Books set in New Mexico (Modern Westerns/Mysteries) are on my list of Favorites: Tony Hillerman (Leaphorn and Chee Books dealing with Navajo Nation/Navajo Police), Michael McGarrity (Kevin Kerney series on crime solving) & the husband/wife team of Aimée & David Thurlo (Ella Clah novels also dealing with Navajo Nation/Navajo Police in Four Corners Area).

Michael McGarrity’s last bood, “Hard Country” would be more of a historical novel, deals with the old west & ties into historical events of the time. Mostly New Mexico, but some Texas & Arizona….even Cuba.

I haven’t read any L’Amour. I guess I assumed from the number of his titles that his writing is formulaic, which probably is unfair. Just because an author is prolific doesn’t mean he/she is a bad writer. Several have recommended him, so I’ll give him a try.

Yes, can’t beat a good book. A love of reading makes these windy, winter days pass quickly. And reading about places in the West ramps up my anticipation of the adventures that lie ahead! Thanks for all the suggestions.

I am at a blank right now, but last year I read two books by searching RV and fiction. It was about a retired woman who traveled solo in her RV with her dog. Everywhere she went she ended up solving a mystery. I wanted to read fiction about RV life, and I love mysteries. It will come to me when I go to bed tonight.

Hi Sue and Crew – I’m loving this thread. I too have read many a book with an atlas by my side. I love books with a strong sense of place. Someone recommended Tony Hillerman, and I must second that. It’s not historical fiction though; I might call it “cultural mystery”. Meaning the culture and landscape of New Mexico is really the main character. He’ a great writer and his characters are wonderful.

I was also moved by what you said about the courage of pioneer women. It’s shocking to think its only been a generation or two since those times. And that women in so many countries still put their lives on the line just to go to school or live independantly.

Lot’s of your readers are kinda locked in now with their winter weather. Here is a site that can give the mind a little exercise. You print them and have fun. Answers are there by clicking on bottom of page but of course, no cheating. The answers are there just to prove how smart you were. Sue, Fri, Sat and Sun brings below freezing temps to much of the valley, but where you are National weather shows slightly above freezing. Days are supposed to be clear and warm. Have fun and Hi to the crew.